The world turned white.
Kael braced himself for death. He expected his body to explode, unable to handle the SSS-Rank mana flooding into him. He was a rusty bucket trying to hold an ocean.
But he didn't explode.
Instead, a sensation of terrifying ecstasy washed over him.
[PROCESSING...]
It felt like someone had hooked his veins to a lightning bolt. The black, corrupt energy that was killing Seraphina surged out of her pores and rushed into Kael's hands.
It didn't hurt anymore. It felt... delicious.
Like a starving man taking his first bite of steak, Kael's body greedily devoured the energy.
[Recycling in progress: 10%... 40%... 80%...]
[Converting "Draconic Curse" into Bio-Energy.]
[Refining impurities.]
Beneath him, Seraphina gasped. Her eyes flew open, wide with shock.
The agonizing fire that had been burning her insides for years vanished instantly. The black veins on her neck retreated, fading back into flawless, pale skin. The heaviness in her chest, the constant taste of iron in her mouth—it was all gone.
She looked up at the F-Rank cleaner hovering over her. His eyes were glowing with a violent, purple light.
Who... who is he?
[RECYCLING COMPLETE]
[DING!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have recycled high-grade waste: "Overflowing Mana Curse."]
[Rewards Calculated:]
[Strength +40]
[Agility +30]
[New Passive Skill Acquired: "Mana Skin (Rank B)"]
Kael blinked, his vision returning. He felt... light. Incredibly light. The constant fatigue of malnutrition was gone, replaced by a thrumming power beneath his skin.
SNAP!
The sound of snapping jaws brought him back to reality.
The Corpse Eater had finished its leap. Its rotting fangs were inches from Kael's neck.
Before, Kael wouldn't have even seen the beast move. But now?
The world seemed to move in slow motion. He could see the saliva dripping from the monster's tongue. He could see the muscles tensing in its neck.
It's slow, Kael thought.
Without thinking, he lashed out. He didn't have a weapon—his shovel was broken—so he used his fist.
CRACK!
His knuckles connected with the hyena's skull.
It wasn't a fight. It was an execution.
The monster's head didn't just break; it exploded. Bone fragments and brain matter sprayed across the cave wall like a popped balloon. The headless body of the beast flew backward, crashing into its packmates with the force of a cannonball.
Silence descended on the dungeon.
The other two Corpse Eaters froze. They looked at their dead leader, then at the skinny human standing there with a smoking fist.
Whimper.
Tails between their legs, the monsters scrambled over the rocks, fleeing into the darkness.
Kael stared at his own hand. It wasn't broken. It wasn't even bruised. A faint, purple aura coated his skin like a protective film.
"What..." Kael stammered, his voice trembling. "What just happened?"
Shing.
The cold metal of a blade pressed against his throat.
The euphoria vanished instantly. Kael froze.
Seraphina was standing. She wobbled slightly, but her grip on her rapier was steady. Her icy blue eyes bore into him, devoid of gratitude.
"Who are you?" she demanded. Her voice was low, dangerous. "And what did you just do to my mana core?"
Kael swallowed hard, feeling the sharp edge against his Adam's apple.
"I... I saved you?" he squeaked.
"You absorbed the Curse," she narrowed her eyes. "That curse has killed Arch-Mages who tried to treat me. You are an F-Rank cleaner. You should be a pile of ash right now."
She pressed the blade harder. A drop of blood trickled down Kael's neck.
"Are you a spy? An assassin from the Demon Cult? Speak before I cut your tongue out."
Kael's mind raced. He couldn't tell her about the System. People had been killed for less. But he couldn't lie to a human lie detector like her.
"My ability!" Kael blurted out. "It's garbage! I recycle trash! Your... your curse. My body treated it like trash and broke it down!"
Seraphina paused. The explanation was so ridiculous it actually made sense.
She studied him. He looked pathetic—skinny, covered in mud and monster guts. But she couldn't deny the reality: for the first time in five years, she didn't feel pain. Her mana flowed smoothly, like a calm river.
She slowly lowered her sword.
"Trash..." she muttered, testing the word. She looked at her own hands. "You treated the power of the Frost Dragon like trash?"
Before Kael could answer, the ground lurched violently.
RUMBLE.
Rocks began to fall from the ceiling in massive chunks. The dungeon was entering its final collapse phase.
"We have to go," Seraphina said, her demeanor shifting instantly from interrogator to commander. "Can you run?"
"I... I think so."
"Good. Because I can't."
Seraphina's legs gave out. She slumped forward.
Kael caught her just before she hit the ground. For a woman of her stature, she felt surprisingly light, almost fragile.
"My physical stamina is exhausted from the battle," she whispered, her face burying into his chest. She smelled of winter flowers and blood. "Carry me."
"Ex-excuse me?" Kael blinked.
"Carry me, Cleaner. Or we both die here."
Kael looked at the collapsing ceiling, then at the SSS-Rank beauty in his arms.
Well, if I die, at least I die holding a goddess, he thought grimly.
He scooped her up bridal style. Thanks to his new [Strength +40], she felt as light as a feather.
"Hold on tight," Kael said.
He kicked off the ground.
The stone beneath his feet cracked from the force. He shot forward like a bullet, dodging falling boulders with reflexes he didn't know he had.
Seraphina watched his profile as they ran. She felt the strange, warm energy pulsing beneath his shirt—the same energy he had stolen from her.
It was comforting. Addictive, even.
Unconsciously, she leaned closer to him, her cheek resting against his shoulder.
He recycles trash, she thought, her consciousness fading as exhaustion took over. I wonder... am I the trash he recycled?
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
[Connection established with "Seraphina".]
[Warning: The target produces new corruption every 24 hours.]
[Daily Recycling required to maintain Host's power boost.]
Kael saw the notification as he sprinted toward the light of the exit.
"Daily?" he muttered, terrified.
He looked down at the sleeping Empress in his arms.
He had just signed a contract with the devil. But feeling the power surging through his veins, Kael knew one thing for sure.
He wasn't going back to being trash ever again.